Giardiasis: Difference between revisions
Brian Blank (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
|||
| Line 29: | Line 29: | ||
The drug [[tinidazole]] can treat giardiasis in a single treatment of 2000 mg, instead of the longer treatment of the other medications listed. The shorter duration of treatment may also cause less patient distress. Tinidazole is now approved by the FDA<ref name="FDA">[http://www.fda.gov/Cder/consumerinfo/druginfo/tindamax.htm FDA info on Tindamax].</ref> and available to U.S. patients. | The drug [[tinidazole]] can treat giardiasis in a single treatment of 2000 mg, instead of the longer treatment of the other medications listed. The shorter duration of treatment may also cause less patient distress. Tinidazole is now approved by the FDA<ref name="FDA">[http://www.fda.gov/Cder/consumerinfo/druginfo/tindamax.htm FDA info on Tindamax].</ref> and available to U.S. patients. | ||
==Testing== | ==Testing== | ||
Revision as of 19:57, 18 May 2009
| Giardiasis | |
 | |
|---|---|
| Giardia cell, SEM | |
| ICD-10 | A07.1 |
| ICD-9 | 007.1 |
| DiseasesDB | 5213 |
| MedlinePlus | 000288 |
| eMedicine | emerg/215 |
| MeSH | D005873 |
|
WikiDoc Resources for Giardiasis |
|
Articles |
|---|
|
Most recent articles on Giardiasis |
|
Media |
|
Evidence Based Medicine |
|
Clinical Trials |
|
Ongoing Trials on Giardiasis at Clinical Trials.gov Clinical Trials on Giardiasis at Google
|
|
Guidelines / Policies / Govt |
|
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Giardiasis
|
|
Books |
|
News |
|
Commentary |
|
Definitions |
|
Patient Resources / Community |
|
Patient resources on Giardiasis Discussion groups on Giardiasis Patient Handouts on Giardiasis Directions to Hospitals Treating Giardiasis Risk calculators and risk factors for Giardiasis
|
|
Healthcare Provider Resources |
|
Causes & Risk Factors for Giardiasis |
|
Continuing Medical Education (CME) |
|
International |
|
|
|
Business |
|
Experimental / Informatics |
Please Take Over This Page and Apply to be Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [1] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.
Overview
Giardiasis (also known as beaver fever) is a disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Giardia lamblia (also sometimes called Giardia intestinalis and Giardia duodenalis) [1]. The giardia organism inhabits the digestive tract of a wide variety of domestic and wild animal species, including humans. It is a common cause of gastroenteritis in humans, infecting approximately 200 million people worldwide.
Transmission
Giardiasis is passed via the fecal-oral route. Primary routes are personal contact and contaminated water and food. People who spend time in institutional or day-care environments are more susceptible, as are travelers and those who consume improperly treated water. It is a particular danger to people hiking or backpacking in wilderness areas worldwide. Giardia is suspected to be zoonotic—communicable between animals and humans. Major reservoir hosts would include beavers, dogs, cats, horses, and cattle.
Symptoms
Symptoms include loss of appetite, lethargy, fever, explosive diarrhea, loose or watery stool, stomach cramps, upset stomach, projectile vomiting (uncommon), bloating, and flatulence. Symptoms typically begin 1–2 weeks after infection and may wane and reappear cyclically. Symptoms are caused largely by the thick coating of Giardia organisms coating the inside of the small intestine and blocking nutrient absorption. Most people are asymptomatic; only about a third of infected people exhibit symptoms.
Treatment
Drugs used to treat adults include metronidazole, albendazole and quinacrine. Furazolidone and nitazoxanide may be used in children. Treatment is not always necessary, as the body can defeat the infection by itself.
The drug tinidazole can treat giardiasis in a single treatment of 2000 mg, instead of the longer treatment of the other medications listed. The shorter duration of treatment may also cause less patient distress. Tinidazole is now approved by the FDA[2] and available to U.S. patients.
Testing
While most sources suggest that commonly used tests for giardia are unreliable, a new immunologic test referred to as ELISA, for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay are now available. These tests are capable of a 90 percent detection rate or more. [3]
References
- ↑ Huang, White. An Updated Review on Cryptosporidium and Giardia Gastroenterol Clin N Am 35 (2006) 291–314
- ↑ FDA info on Tindamax.
- ↑ Giardia Lamblia and Giardiasis by Robert L. Rockwell, PhD